Over the past four months I, along with a number of my runner friends, have been pushing our bodies farther than many of us had ever dared in hopes of completing the Chicago marathon in October. We are 2/3 of the way there, and the list below if a small sampling of the things I've learned during this experience. As you'll notice, most of them aren't too profound, but in the end, it's the little things that matter most anyway, right?
- Chocolate milk is without a doubt the best after-run drink known to man.
- Gatorade of all flavors can be mixed together to provide sweet, sweet, mid-run hydration. It may be brown in color when all is said and done, but nothing has ever tasted so good.
- Bongo Java breakfast puts a smile on my face no matter how many miles . . .
- Bikers are mean; runners beware! (This of course excludes all my wonderful biking friends!)
- Long runs are better shirtless. Thank you Sarah Shearer for giving me the courage to rock the sports bra/shorts combination. It has changed my life . . . and the amount of laundry I have to do.
- Morning runs really are the best and I'm more used to 5:00 am wakeup calls than I ever thought I could be.
- I have never felt so good about consuming enormous amounts of carbs and the quantities continue to grow with each long run.
- A cold beer is worth its weight in gold.
- When you have to go, you have to go. Running routes with bathroom stops are a hot commodity.
- It is faster to run to Wave Country than drive thanks to the Greenway.
- If you find you've locked your keys in your car when you finish your run, you can just run home for extra milage. :)
- Nashville is a seriously hilly but seriously beautiful place to run.
-Last, but absolutely not least, nothing bonds people better than sweating together. To all my running friends, you are bad ass and there is no way I would have made it this far in my training without you all. You have inspired me to push myself farther than I ever thought I could go. We are going to ROCK Chicago and I can't wait to celebrate with everyone after our 26.2!
(Of course this post wouldn't be complete without a special shout out to my sweet sweet Coley. You have helped me during this training more than you know and I wouldn't feel nearly as good about this race if I didn't have your support. I'm so excited you will be there with me in the Windy City!)
